In the modern-day whirlwind of technology, with the latest cell phone coming out faster than the battery life on your current one, reading and books have been packed away with flip phones and iPods.<\/p>\n
Literacy rates and stats for each country is different, but there is one fact that is common across the globe, reading for pleasure is on the decrease.<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t need to inundate you with the statistics that show the ways technology has replaced books \u2013 all you need to do is look around at the children in our community or ask them to read a passage from a book suited for their age. Books and reading have become considered outdated for many people, adopting the sentiment that reading is best reserved for academia.
\nReading creates an opportunity to step outside of our world and into another. You see, reading has numerous benefits, and it plays a critical role in enhancing our mental capacity. Just as we place importance on physical health, reading is an essential workout for our brain. According to numerous studies, these are just some of the benefits of reading:<\/p>\n
\u2022 Teaches you empathy
\n\u2022 Increases knowledge
\n\u2022 Vocabulary expansion
\n\u2022 Memory improvement
\n\u2022 Stronger analytical skills
\n\u2022 Stronger writing skills
\n\u2022 Stress Reduction
\n\u2022 Entertainment!<\/p>\n
Reading a book doesn\u2019t always have to be an academic experience. After all, it\u2019s not just non-fiction books that have a positive impact on the brain. Reading about the lives and experiences of others stimulates parts of the brain that aren\u2019t usually used.<\/p>\n
Take for example, our emotions. Reading about pain, sadness, anger, happiness, etc. stimulates the part of our brain that would normally feel those emotions, building stronger pathways towards empathy. You\u2019re not just reading, you\u2019re experiencing.<\/p>\n
Reading books allows you the opportunity to travel through factious worlds as well as the lives of people around the world today. It allows you the chance to travel through centuries, all the while, improving your brain.
\nReading is important, valuable, and necessary for societies. Books are powerful, so it comes as no surprise that they are generally the first to be censored and policed. Censorship of books and knowledge have always been tactics utilized in repressive societies.<\/p>\n
The fact is that when you reading, you are actually acquiring knowledge. Seeking knowledge is far more important than earning a college degree. Seeking knowledge is learning about the world and the people who surround us. Gaining knowledge is an all-powerful tool in the current climate of the world we live in.<\/p>\n
As is famously said \u201cYou don\u2019t have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.\u201d When you stop reading, you stop literacy!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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